Monday, September 13, 2010

July- August Newsletter 2010

JULY
The month began with Colin still living the bachelor life as Julia was back home in the UK. The visit for a couple of days from some new American friends (Harold Gingerich and Sherrie Weimer) made the house seem less empty – although they would have had better hospitality if Julia had been here. Sherrie was on her way to missionary service in Indonesia, to teach in a Christian school. God is still sending out labourers into the harvest.
3-4 July I was in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Borneo), speaking in Full Gospel Tabernacle. As always I was blessed by the privilege of preaching in this growing church. After the Sunday morning service I flew to Jakarta, Indonesia, where I spent the night at the airport hotel before taking the early flight on Monday morning to Semarang and by 8am I was in the School of Acts where I taught sessions both morning and evening up until Thursday. There were about 120 students in the morning sessions and 200 in the evenings, from all 33 provinces of Indonesia. Their hunger for the word of God was intense and it was a real thrill to teach them.
After teaching the Friday morning class I flew back to Malaysia, arriving home around 1am.
On Sunday, 11 July I preached at Richer Life Outreach in Cheras.
From 15-23 July I taught in Tung Ling Seminary in Ipoh. This is a new extension of the Tung Ling Seminary in Subang Jaya. It was an exciting time to be involved in this new venture in training people for the work of the Kingdom. One of the students remembered me from my very first missions trip to Malaysia in 1975 when we went out evangelising together on bicycles.
On Saturday, 17 July there were no classes so I took the opportunity to drive to Taiping and have breakfast with Philip and Fiona Mathius. When we first arrived in Malaysia as missionaries in 1978, Fiona was my guide around the town of Kota Baharu when Julia and I were praying about where to pioneer churches, and Philip was the pastor of the church in Mentakab and we often ministered there. It was wonderful to renew fellowship with them after many years. Thank God for people like them who have remained faithful to their work and ministry.
On my final Saturday in Malaysia I attended the wedding of Jai Isaacs to Daenielle. Jai is originally from Lifeline Assembly in Kuala Terengganu, although he wasn’t even born when we pioneered the church there. Makes you feel old when you can say that.
On Sunday, 25 July I preached at the two morning services in Full Gospel Assembly, Kuala Lumpur, before setting off for the airport for my flight home to UK.
Whilst I was having all this fun, Julia was having fun of her own back in the UK, including the engine blowing up in her car and all the upstairs light blowing out in our house in Wales - rewiring was needed. I thank God for a wife who can take all these crises in her stride.

JULY/AUGUST
Back in the UK, most of our time was spent visiting some of the churches who are supporting us in prayer, in Dinnington, Batley, Mansfield Woodhouse, Sheffield Woodhouse, Aberaman, Hirwaun, Clydach, Haverfordwest etc. It is always good to be able to share what God is doing in Asia, including many things we cannot say in our newsletters. It is only a pity that we are not able to visit all of you who are behind us in prayer and giving, because we really appreciate every one of you.
Whilst we were home we were also able to celebrate Andrea’s (our youngest daughter) 40th birthday. We really are getting old.
On 31 August we flew to Texas where we are staying with our daughter, Paula, and from where we will be reaching out into Mexico, Venezuela and Costa Rica, besides ministering in some of the American churches. More about that in our next newsletter.

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